4 ms·

Ted Chiang is cool. But I think "Story of your life" isn't his best work. If you're going to read one story by Chiang, a good one is "Liking what you see": http

• mrec 10y ago
  Yes, that's probably my fave too, and the least fantastical of his. I saw Arrival last night, and was very struck by the fact that despite having read and loved Stories of Your Life and Others, I couldn't remember anything of the plot.
• superbatfish 10y ago
  That's interesting, because Chiang himself doesn't view "Liking What You See" to be his best work. In fact, he turned down a Hugo nomination for it, "on the grounds that the story was rushed due to editorial pressure and did not turn out as he had really wanted".[1] Personally, I think Story of Your Life is a master work. I found the strange writing structure annoying at first, and then right at the end of the story you get an "ah-ha" moment that changes everything. What I thought was awkward writing turned out to be a masterful illustration about a theory of consciousness. I was floored by Chiang's ambition to even write such a story. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Chiang
  • macintux 10y ago
    I was a bit depressed that I didn't get to experience that revelation while reading the story, but getting to experience it while watching the movie is fair recompense.